Commander of Pacific Fleet (PF) anti-piracy task unit consisting of large ASW ship Admiral Tributs , tanker Pechenga , and seagoing rescue tug MB-37 Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov on Jan 17 hosted commander of NATO Operation Ocean Shield Rear Admiral Sinan Azmi Tosun (Turkey) on board Admiral Tributs , reports NATO official website.
Escorting merchant convoy, large ASW ship Admiral Tributs entered the area patrolled by Ocean Shield ‘s flagship Turkish frigate Giresun . During the visit on board the Russian warship, parties exchanged operational data and discussed the possibility of joint NATO-Russian naval exercises. Commanders expressed their determination to encourage development of relationship helping task forces resolve anti-piracy problems jointly.
“We had a fruitful meeting. Our meeting will certainly help us to work together to tackle piracy in the region. We are all actors in the same area and good cooperation between our forces will enhance the effectiveness in keeping the shipping lanes safe as well as mutual understanding of the NATO and Russian units” , pointed out Rear Admiral Tosun .
At present, the admiral heads Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) consisting of Turkish frigate Giresun , Danish support ship Absalon , Italian frigate Grecale , British support ship Fort Victoria , American frigate De Wert , and Danish airplane Challenger 640 .
The seventh PF anti-piracy task unit left Vladivostok on Dec 10, 2011 heading for the Indian Ocean and started to form the first convoy in the Gulf of Aden on Jan 15. PF ships will spend several months in the region.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , January 20, 2012; Image: nato